Sugar Bowl Report: U.va. Center Hobbling Around

Sugar Bowl report

Senior center Trevor Ryals said Thursday he has a small fracture in his left foot, which occurred in the Cavaliers' Nov. 24 loss at Virginia Tech. Ryals practiced Thursday, but missed four workouts last week in Charlottesville.

"My foot was bent and somebody stepped on it," Ryals said. "This week I decided I'm just taping it up and taking a lot of Advil. All my idols always played in pain, guys like Jack Lambert and Jack Youngblood. ... Nothing's going to keep me from playing in the game. It's my last time putting on a Virginia uniform."

* UNDER THE WEATHER

Sophomore tailback Terry Kirby, also an All-ACC player, was scheduled to attend a Thursday news conference but backed out because "he was feeling under the weather," according to Virginia sports information director Rich Murray. Kirby practiced Thursday and is expected to play Tuesday, Murray said.

* QUOTE-UNQUOTE

Ryals on the difference between the Sugar Bowl and last season's trip to the Florida Citrus Bowl: "Here you don't have to go to 300 amusement parks."

* FRIENDLY FOES

The Virginia and Tennessee coaching staffs have swapped many an idea during past offseasons. Assistants from each staff have visited the opposite campus, and Virginia head coach George Welsh has heard lectures from Tennessee defensive coordinator Larry Lacewell. "Virginia's offense and our offense are very similar," Tennessee offensive coordinator Phil Fulmer said. "Tom O'Brien and I are good friends and we have shared a lot of ideas." O'Brien coaches Virginia's offensive line and along with quarterback coach Gary Tranquill calls the Cavaliers' plays.

* CAVS UNUSUAL

Virginia is the first unranked team to play in the Sugar Bowl since 1968, when Louisiana State upset No. 6 and undefeated Wyoming 20-13. The Cavaliers are the first non-Southeastern Conference representative to be unranked since Syracuse in 1965. The Orangemen lost 13-10 to LSU. Virginia and Tennessee are a combined 16-5-2, the worst aggregate record for Sugar Bowl teams since 1945, when 5-4 Duke played 5-1-1 Alabama. Last season's Sugar Bowl featured Miami and Alabama, both of which were 10-1. The Hurricanes won the game, and the national championship.

* COACHES RETURN

This will be the first Sugar Bowl to match head coaches who started in the game as players. Virginia's Welsh quarterbacked Navy to a 21-0 victory against Mississippi in 1955, and Tennessee's Johnny Majors scored a touchdown in the Volunteers' 13-7 loss to Baylor in the 1957 Sugar Bowl.